It's unfortunate that we are having to report the 10th black trans woman killed. According to the New York Post, a transgender inmate, was found dead in a jail cell on Rikers Island on Friday afternoon, June 7th. As of yet, no official sources have reported that the death of the inmate is in fact Layleen Polanco, however Gaye's close sources have reported otherwise as the case develops.
She was found unresponsive in her cell at the Rose M. Singer women’s facility at the jail at about 2:40 p.m., the Department of Corrections said.
Medics responded and tried to revive her for about an hour before she was declared dead, the DOC said.
“Any death in our custody is a tragic loss, and we are looking into how this happened,” a DOC spokesperson said.
Numerous trans woman across social media have been calling for the senseless killings of trans women to end and have since started a movement to protest Polanco's death. #JusticeForLayleen.
We will continue to report on this heartbreaking story as it develops.